This weekend offers a lot of film, music and nerdy joy.
As I have mentioned before, Digital Gym Cinema is a haven for film lovers. It was created 12 years ago by Ethan Van Thillo, the founder and executive director of Media Arts Center San Diego. It was initially located on El Cajon Boulevard before relocating to a state-of-the-art facility at Park and Market in East Village. Landmark Theatres' exit from San Diego has only intensified Van Thillo's passion for Digital Gym Cinema.
"Incredibly, our Digital Gym Cinema is the last movie theater in downtown San Diego, and it's also the last independent art house cinema here in the city," Van Thillo said. "It's very sad to see the Hillcrest Cinemas closing. So we, as a nonprofit, need to make sure we are preserving the act of seeing movies together. We believe in the communal experience of seeing movies on the big screen with the sound and being able to dialogue about these issues in these films. We screen independent art house films every day. It's really important that people come out and and want to see movies on the big screen."
I have deep gratitude to Van Thillo for providing a home for Film Geeks SD, a volunteer group I started more than a decade ago to bring unique film programming to San Diego. We are currently a group of five volunteer programmers and we put on a yearlong film series as well as Bonkers Half-Assed Midnights at Digital Gym.
Digital Gym Cinema
Coming up this weekend at Digital Gym Cinema there are more than just movies.
"So in addition to screening movies, our nonprofit educates youth and young adults of all ages on how to make films," Van Thillo explained. "Especially in today's world, we believe in the importance of media literacy, critical thinking and analyzing media. And so we have a wonderful master class this Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Sue Ding. She's a filmmaker from L.A."
Project Development Masterclass with Su Ding is open to all ages and will address all aspects of film production, including how to find grants.
Digital Gym is also a great place to go this weekend because they're tapping into the awards season buzz with a For Your Consideration lineup of films. These are films that have created Oscar buzz during this awards season, and Digital Gym allows you one last chance to see these 2024 releases.
This weekend alone, you can see four films that are in this category. There's the French animated film, "Flow," which has already won some awards and it's about a group of animals trying to survive a sudden a flood. It's a wordless animated film that's just gorgeous.
"Anora" is also screening. It's the latest from independent filmmaker Sean Baker ("Tangerine," "The Florida Project"). Just as I was beginning to tire of Anora "Ani" Baker and her antics, Baker throws a curveball and brings in a new set of characters to refresh the film and completely win me over. Yura Borisov as Igor was the best thing in this movie. Mikey Madison is great as Ani, but she gets the whole movie to build a character. She gets to chew scenery and emote wildly because her character is someone who holds nothing in. But Igor has very few lines and not a lot of screen time to create a character that is genuinely and unexpectedly engaging.
You can also catch "A Different Man," starring Adam Pearson and Sebastian Stan. The film, directed and written by Aaron Schimberg, is fresh and inspired in how it views disability and deliberately challenges the audience to rethink our ideas. I admire a lot of the cleverness but also find it erratic and problematic in places. Stan, an actor playing a character with neurofibromatosis who is miraculously cured, and Pearson, an actor who has neurofibromatosis, both deliver amazing performances as they ask us to consider that how we perceive ourselves can be as important as how others see us.
But the film I'd like to recommend the most is Palestine's official entry for Best International Film at this year's Academy Awards. Its title is "From Ground Zero," an anthology of 22 short films created by filmmakers living in Gaza. The project was conceived by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi. Each film presents a very personal perspective on the reality of living in Gaza now. Some shorts are documentary narratives, others re-enacted stories, docu-fiction, experimental pieces and even animation. The collection captures the diverse range of experiences of these filmmakers.
In "Recycling," a woman shows us how one bucket of water is used to drink, cook, do dishes, wash clothes, bathe in and finally to water plants. In "Hell's Heaven," a man takes a body bag and argues that he should be able to use it while he is alive to stay warm at night. But the one that impacted me the most was called "Soft Skin." It's an animated film made by children in which they explain how their mothers wrote their names on their arms and legs to ensure their bodies could be identified if they were killed. Despite the immense challenges of filming in Gaza, these filmmakers have created a brilliant collaborative project. And perhaps most amazingly, so many of the films focus on hope, beauty and joy despite the horrific conditions.
In addition to the FYC films you can also catch a classic Italian giallo, "Strip Nude for Your Killer," on Saturday. It's the first offering in the 2025 season of Bonkers Half-Assed Midnights (named this because they start at 10 p.m. but end before midnight).
San Diego Latino Film Festival North County mixer
The San Diego Latino Film Festival isn't until March, but it is never too early to get the word out. To celebrate the festival's 32nd incredible year, there will be a special mixer event and Arte Latino celebration at the North County Mall.
"They're co-presenting this event along with the California Center for the Arts in Escondido and Pako Pablo Studios," Van Thillo explained. "It's a wonderful new gallery inside the mall, and so this Saturday, we're gonna be having a collection of artists there selling and displaying their work. We're gonna have beverages, appetizers, and we're gonna be selling a special pass for the film festival at a very discounted price for North County residents."
Plus, the first 100 attendees will get free concert tickets to Flor de Toloache and Jacqie Rivera.
Local bands
But Van Thillo won't be able to attend his own event because he's also a member of multiple local bands that are playing on Saturday. His folk bluegrass trio, Whiskey and Burlap, will perform from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m at Humphreys Backstage Live, with proceeds benefiting L.A. artists impacted by the fires. Later that night, his band, Ass Pocket Whiskey Fellas — an eight piece Irish rock band — will be at McGregor's Bar and Grill in Mission Valley.
Little Fish Comic Book Studio's Comic Savvy
I also want to remind people that comic book culture in San Diego exists beyond the five days of Comic-Con. One of my favorite places is Little Fish Comic Book Studio on El Cajon Boulevard. They host something they regularly call Comic Savvy: New Year's Edition, and there's one this Saturday. These events are perfect for nerdy people who love comics. It's an open house at Little Fish, run by Alonzo Nunez. They'll have a big blowout sale on graphic novels, share information about their summer camps and introduce their amazing program called Comic-Con Intensive.
What are local artists recommending this weekend?
Art, music and embroidery
Gaby Moreno, poet and host of Nightmare on Sedgwick Avenue, recommends Music 2 My Ears, a group art show presented by Sew Loka in collaboration with Villa Musica and Intersection Arts.
Streaming shows and comics
Artist and illustrator Patrick Ballesteros is excited to stream "Sakamoto Days" (Netflix) and "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" (Disney+), and he urges Marvel fans and art enthusiasts to head to their local comic book store and request a copy of "The Art of Marvel SNAP."
